‘Some nights they cover the windows black’

by maddrunkgenius

I dropped Will off in Alpine, then headed for home. I traveled 4,000 miles and got pulled over for speeding during the last 100. They didn’t care about anything searching my car for drugs. Then they let me go.

I went to the Allsups at Grandfalls and found it covered with all manner of bug, but especially grasshoppers. I needed gasoline.

I paid in cash and told the clerk I was going to have a fun time filling up. She said, “Why?”

“Because of the grasshoppers.”

“Oh,” and she looked at me like I was crazy.

And of course the catch didn’t work on the nozzle, so I had to stand next to my car the whole time, right under the bright lights they all wanted instead of walking off to a less popular place until my car was full.

I walked into the bathroom and used the mirror to check my back. There were several things hanging on there.

I came out and asked the clerk if they’d had a lot of rain lately.

“No, it’s been like this all summer,” she said. “Some nights they cover the windows black and nobody even comes in.”